Instrument



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

F. H. RICHARDS.

BUTTON IEASTBNER SETTING INSTRUMENT. No. 338,554. Patented Mar. 23,1886.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

F. H. RICHARDS.

BUTTON PASTENBR SETTING INSTRUMENT.

No. 338,554. Patented Marl 23, 1886.

Fig. 0' 2 4 6 2 4 .7

Inventor.-

UNITED STATES ATENT FFrcE.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASS, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERI- CANBUTTON FASTENER COMPANY, OF NEV BRITAIN, CONN.

BUTTON-FASTENER-SETTING INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 338,554, dated March23, 1886.

Application filed August 24, 1885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden, State q ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inButton-Fastener- Setting Instruments, of which the following is aspecification, referencebeing had to the ac companying two sheets ofdrawings,forming a part thereof.

This invention relates to improvements in hand-instruments especiallyadapted for setting into shoes or fabrics the button-fasteners shown,described, and claimed in United 1 5 States Patent No. 314,684, grantedto E. Kempshall March 31, 1885, the chief object being to provide aninstrument in which the fasteners can be more conveniently put intoposition ready for setting. To this end the invention consists in thenovel features hereinafter described and claimed.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an instrument embodying my invention,showing the Q5 jaws in their open position. Fig. 2 is a side elevationof the same, partially in section. Fig. 3 is a View of the front end,which is at the right hand in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional view inlinea a, Fig. 2. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are views the same as a part of Fig.2, showing how the button-fasteners are put into theinstrumentpreparatory to using them. Fig. 8

is a side View, partially in section, showing a button fastener, button,and fabric in place ready for the setting operation. Fig. 9 is a frontview of what is shown in Fig. 8. Fig.

10 is a view similar to Fig. 8, showing the parts at the close of thesetting operation. Fig.

11 is a front View, similar to Fig. 9, of what is shown in Fig. 10.Figs. 12, 13, and 14 are perspective views ofeertain parts of theinstrumerit.

Similar characters designate the same parts in all the figures.

The two handles A B of my improved instrument are of the samedescription, are pivoted together at P, and are thrown open by a spring,S, as instruments of this class which are now in common use, all whichthe drawings sufficiently show. Each of said members A and 13 extendspast the joint, forming Serial No. 175,236. (No model.)

jaws C and 1), respectively, somewhat similar to the jaws of the otherinstruments aforesaid. Jaw D is furnished with the ordinary prongbendingdie, E, for turning over the point of the prong into a hook through theeye of a button. Jaw C is provided with a presser-slide, F, which isarranged to have a reciprocating motion vertically across the jaw. Backof said slide the jaw is or may be (for this location of the spring isobviously non-essential) recessed to receive a spring, 3, the point 4 ofwhich enters notch 5 in slide F to move this upward. The downwardmovement of the slide is caused by pressure of die E or of fabricbeneath it on 6; the top, Fig. 6, of said slide. In front of slide F thedriver G is held in a fixed position relative to jaw C by means of thetwo side wings, 7 S, which extend rearward and are secured by screw 9into recesses formed in said jaw. By this construction the driver notonly fulfills its special office, but also serves to securely hold theslide in position. It will be noticed, also, that the screw 9, whichholds in place the driver, serves as well to hold in place 7 spring 3 bymeans of a notch, 10, formed therein. This arrangement of the mechanismis therefore a very economical and effective one, requiring few parts,and these compactly assembled. The top 11 of driver G is preferably,though not necessarily, shaped,as at 11, to receive and guide thefastener-head, which then rests between the raised edges 12. On thefront of the slide, and moving therewith outside of driver G, is aguideplate, H, whose office it is to hold a fastener against the frontof slide F above the driver. This plate has a pair of side guides, 24:25, for preventing any objectionable lateral movement of its upper end.Q

As a convenient way of holding and causing the proper vertical motion ofsaid plate, Ibend the lower end thereof, as at 13, and secure it byscrew 14 to the bottom of slide F. Thus fiXed,and being made ofslightly-elastic mate- 9 5 rial-as, for instance, of sheet-steeltheupper end of the guide-plate is elastically held to the top of theslide. A button-fastener placed between those parts will obviously beelastically held thereby as it is forced up between them by the driver.

To permit the convenient putting in place ance.

for setting of a button-fastener, the guide-plate has formed therein aT-shaped opening, J, somewhat larger than said fastener. Said opening,as will be seen in the drawings, couconsists of a vertical slot, 15, anda horizontal slot, 16. The top of the vertical slot is bridged over, asshown at 17, forming the point-guiding notch 18. The lips 19 20 are attheir lower ends curved outward to allow the head parts 21 22 of anupward-moving fastener to slide under them. The depth ofnotch 18 shouldbe slightly less than the thickness of a fastener, so that when thepoint of the fastener is introduced under bridge 17 it will, when pushedupward, operate as hereinafter described. The operation of my improvedinstrument is very simple, and will be obvious from the drawings and thepreceding description. The two members A B being open, as in Fig. 2, afastener of the kind specified is placed with its point under bridge 17,as shown at 22 in Fig. 5, and is then pushed by the operator. upward,acting as a wedge to slightly lift the top of plate H from slide F. Thisallows the bridge 17 to press with some force on the fastener-prong at apoint below its upper end, so that when the fastener is further forcedupward, as in Fig. 6, said pressure acts to bring the fastenerthroughout its length against the slide, as shown in Fig. 7. Ashoe-upper or fabric, M, is now put in proper position between the dieand slide, which are closed onto it, as in Figs. 8 and 9. A button, 30,is next putwith its eye in the die, when the members A B .are forciblybrought together, pushing 7' down slide F and driving the fastener-prongup through the fabric and the button eye against the die, as shown inFigs. 10 .and 11. When the prong first enters the fabric, its point isguided in notch 18; but as the fastenerhead moves up its ends pass'underlips 19 20, lifting the plate and bridge 17 off from the prong, whichdoes not longer need such guid- The operation being completed, the

members A B are opened by hand or by a spring (not shown) and the slidereturned to its original position by spring 3, as hereinbeforedescribed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In abutton-fastener-setting instrument, the combination, with a memberprovided with a prong-bending die, and with a member which carries apresser-slide and has a fixed driver next to said slide, of aguide-plate in front of said driver and slide, and adapted to be movedwith said slide, said members being arranged to be moved toward and fromeach other, and said plate having an opening through which to putfasteners above the driver, all arranged substantially as set forth.

2. In a button-fastener-setting instrument, the combination, with amember having a driver fixed thereon, of slide F, and a guideplateelastically held to said slide, substantially as described, said platehaving an opening through which tov put fasteners above the driver, andat its upper end a prong-guiding notch, substantially as set forth.

'3. The combination of slide F, driver 1}, plate H, having opening J,notch 18, and'lips 19 20,, and means, substantially as described, foroperating saidslide, substantially as sle forth.

4. The combination of jaw C, hav-iagazsp'ace for the reception of spring3, slide F, d river G, having wings 7 and 8, spring 3, 'andascrew, '9,arranged to hold in place both the driver and spring, substantially asset forth.

5. The combination of slide .13, driver G, and plate H, secured at itslower end to said slide, and having on its upper end the side guides, 2425, substantially as set forth, and for the purpose specified.

FRANCIS .H. RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

ROBERT L. PrzoK, OLUF TYBERG.

